Disclaimer: this was probably the easiest DIY project I have ever, and will ever do(my bathroom shelves are a close second).

Greg, Kennedy, and I had just moved into a new apartment. With a new apartment comes a ton of DIY projects – sorry Greg! I had a vision for how I wanted our bedroom to look. Banana leaf wallpaper, navy velvet headboard, teal curtains, and gold accents. I didn’t intend on needing to DIY my curtain rods, because curtain rods come in basically every finish and size you could possibly want, right? Turns out that is in fact correct, however my twenty-something budget wasn’t really feelin’ it. I was struggling to find curtain rods in a brassy/gold finish that would also be long enough for my super wide windows, they’re over 8 feet and basically take up the whole wall, which is great for natural light, but not great for my wallet.

Greg and I took a trip to Home Depot for something – I honestly don’t remember what it was for, I think I’ve spent more time in Home Depot over the last two months than I’ve actually been in my apartment. I was roaming the aisles and came across the plumbing aisle. There, I found 3/4″ copper pipe in 5′ sections. I had an epiphany in aisle 13 – why don’t I just buy pipe and spray paint it gold?! So I grabbed 4 5′ pieces of copper pipe, 4 tube caps, 2 and 2 couplings and made my way over to the window treatment section and grabbed 3 packs of brackets similar to these I got a can of Rust-Oleum Metallic Gold spray paint and headed to check out!

The curtain rod brackets I linked also come in gold so as long as they are close enough you won’t have to paint yours!

My windows were super wide, so I didn’t need to cut the pipes at all. There is about 1′ sticking out on either side, but I wanted that look since I plan on using curtains with pockets opposed to grommets so I really wanted the rods to be seen! If you want yours shorter, someone at your hardware store should be able to cut them to size for you!

You definitely will need a middle bracket if you have wide windows like me or the curtains will pull the rod down in the middle.

I chose a really small diameter pipe because I wanted something dainty, but a thicker diameter would also work!

Let’s get started!

Lay out all of the pieces in a well ventilated area on a tarp or drop cloth.

Remove all labels and stickers from the pipe and the connectors/caps

Spray all of your pieces with the spray paint and let dry for 2 hours

Flip them over and give them another coat anywhere you may have missed

Let dry for 2 hours and double check for any missed spots.

If no spots were missed, let dry overnight to make sure you don’t smudge anything

Attach your pipes using the couplings and put on the tub caps. You don’t need to use any glue, but you can if you want

Hang brackets in desired location above windows

Place rod in the brackets!

Put up your curtains and let the compliments roll in 🙂

Here are some pictures of the whole thing in progress! Only three because it was literally THAT easy.

Hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial! I have plenty more on the way, so please follow using the link on the sidebar or subscribe to my newsletter.

Need a refresh but you’re not ready to commit to a whole makeover? I rounded up a few of my favorite boho decor items from Amazon! Best part? They’re all under $50 and Prime eligible which means you don’t need to wait long before they arrive on your front steps!2×3 area rugs$18.99

I absolutely LOVE these little area rugs. There are tons of different colors and patterns, which makes them perfect for any small space that you have! Put one in the bathroom instead of a bathmat, by your desk, in front of your kitchen sink or in your entryway!

Switching out your pillow covers is an easy – and cheap – way to freshen up any room. I especially love these because of the different but coordinating patterns. The leather adds the perfect amount of texture. Don’t forget to buy your pillow inserts to go with them if you don’t already have them!

I love blankets. I have so many of them that I have multiple baskets filled with them. I keep them by my couch because I am always cold – even in the middle of summer I need something covering me! I love this one because it’s a neutral color and pattern but it adds a lot of interest to a space! Instead of storing this away in a basket or drawer, this one can be left out draped over the couch or folded at the foot of your bed. This specific pattern comes in three colors, but there are over 50 different pattern/color combinations that you can choose from!

I have a lot of plants. Most of them don’t fit on shelves or on the floor. There where these plant holders come in handy! Theyre super simple but they really look awesome. I hang them on these brackets.

I love coffee table books. I think they’re a really fun way to style a coffee table without it looking cluttered. This one is one of my favorites because it include some beautiful photos of plants and tips on how to care for them all and how to incorporate them into your home!

In cane you couldn’t tell by now, I really like macrame. This shelf is awesome if you don’t have a ton of floor space to put an end table. I love this shelf for plants that hang down. like a pothos or string of pearls! Make sure to grad some ceiling hooks while you’re at it too!

This item is a bit more of a splurge than the rest coming in at about $43 but I just couldn’t resist it! It adds so much texture and comes in a few different colors and patterns. This would be great for that person that’s just diving into decorating – it’s not intimidating with crazy colors but it has tons of texture so it’s easy to make a statement with one small item!

I hope you all liked my Room Refresh! I plan on doing a series of these every week on Wednesdays. If there are any specific themes you’d like to see me round up, leave a comment below or feel free to message me on Instagram!

A few notes before we get stared – I purchased everything from Home Depot, but a lot of these items are available on Amazon as well. When you buy your board from Home Depot, you can have them cut it to the length you want. I had them cut the board into 30″ sections.

The first thing that you need to do is sand down your wood so that it’s completely smooth. Use your sander and the 120 grit sandpaper to do this.

Wood sanded? Awesome. Now you need to stain the wood. I did this by using a paint brush then wiping over the area that I coated with a paper towel to soak up the excess. I only did one coat, but if you think you want it darker, go for a second!

Let the wood dry after staining for about 2 hours. While this is drying, spray paint your corner brackets black. If you want the metal look, feel free to skip this step!

Brush on one coat of the polyurethane using a clean dry brush and let dry for at least 2 hours.

Now you need to mark where your shelves are going to go. Use some painters tape to visualize how far apart you want your shelves. I did mine 11″ apart.

Use a stud finder to find the studs in your walls and mark where the braces are going to go. Make sure you know what size screws you need(your stud finder should be able to tell you how far in they are).

Note – if you’d rather drill into the drywall, please please please use drywall anchors!

Using the braces as your guide(with the bottom part the part that’s sticking out), mark where your screws will go and drill pilot holes using a really small drill bit! This will make putting the screws in way easier.

Use the screws to attach the braces. I like to use the middle screw in first because it gives you more room to fix mistakes if they end up being a smidge too high or too low. Finish installing brackets, making sure they are level.

Now, just place wood on the brackets and you’re done! If you want extra security, you can drill the brackets directly to the shelves but I felt fine just placing them on.